Just under nine minutes in from the start of the speech, a loud thud was heard as the boy fainted onto the ground.

The Duchess of Cornwall, who was sat beside the boy, looked on with concern as he was carried out of the chamber by staff. The Prince of Wales was also distracted and looked around for help. The Queen remained professional and carried on reading her speech without interruption.

Because of the incident, there were only three page boys left to assist the Queen, carrying her heavy train, as she exited the Lords.

The four page boys listed in today’s programme were Hugo Bertie, Viscount Aithrie, Charles Armstrong-Jones and Arthur Chatto. A House of Lords spokesman refused to name the boy who fainted. He did however confirm that the boy was now “fine and there is no problem”.

The page boys are responsible for carrying the Queen’s ceremonial robe and laying it on the steps after she sits down.